This invention relates to disposable plate lids, and to food containers of the type comprising a disposable plate and a disposable lid therefor.
Many commercial and institutional establishments, such as fast food restaurants and school cafeterias, in which food is sold and/or served on disposable plates of paperboard, foam plastic or the like, utilize disposable lids or covers for the plates. The lids and plates cooperatively constitute protective containers for the food, and after removal of the lids, the plates perform their usual function of holding the food as it is consumed.
Important desired attributes of disposable plate lids include low cost, structural simplicity, ease of application and removal, and security of attachment to the plates they cover. Plate lids and equivalent devices heretofore available, however, have generally been less than satisfactory in one or more of these respects. In particular, they tend to be very vulnerable to accidental dislodgment, with resultant premature exposure of the covered food and inconvenience to the user.